Carlos Alcaraz has clarified why he was “surprised” that Jannik Sinner decided to compete at the 2026 Monte Carlo Masters.
The seven-time major champion crushed 65th-ranked Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-3 in his opening match at the Monte Carlo Country Club on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is the defending champion at the Masters 1000 tournament, having secured his maiden title in the Principality last year.
World No 1 Alcaraz is the top seed in Monte Carlo, while his biggest rival Sinner is the No 2 seed.
Sinner, who is chasing his first Monte Carlo crown, cruised to a 6-3, 6-0 win over world No 34 Ugo Humbert in his opener on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old Italian has won 13 straight matches and 26 consecutive sets, having triumphed in Indian Wells and Miami in March to complete the Sunshine Double.
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Prior to his first match, Alcaraz admitted he did not expect Sinner to play at the season’s first clay-court Masters event.
“Honestly, I was surprised that Jannik, after Indian Wells, Miami, and the whole tour, came to Monte Carlo to play, but obviously that speaks to the great physical condition he’s in right now, what he’s capable of,” said Alcaraz.
In his press conference after his win against Baez, Alcaraz was asked why he was surprised by Sinner’s presence in Monte Carlo.
“No, I mean, I just think a lot of things ahead of… it feels like we’re guessing, the players, which tournaments they’re gonna play sometimes,” Alcaraz explained.
“Obviously, he was successful in Indian Wells, Miami — a lot of matches, a long swing. And from the last day in Miami until the first day here, it’s like one week, I would say.
“So you’re coming from different time difference, different surface, different everything. Different balls. So it’s tricky when you don’t have that much time to prepare yourself for another surface, another kind of play, another tournament, another environment I would say.
“But it’s up to him obviously, and it’s the decision of every player to go to one tournament or other. So if he decided to come here, that means that he feels good physically, feels good mentally, and he’s excited to come here.
“But I was surprised because he has a lot of matches in the last month, playing on hard-court and not having that much time to rest, time to prepare on clay.
“But we could see that he’s playing doubles, he played great today. So that means the great player he is because he adapts himself really good in such a short period of time from one surface to others.”
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